She was the “sunshine” of her workplace — till she requested for equal pay.
A News12 anchor claims her easy declare for fairness resulted in such harsh blowback from her community that she had a psychotic break and ended up on suicide watch.
Annalisa Klebers, an award-winning journalist who anchored the morning information for Altice USA-owned News12 stations in Connecticut and New Jersey, stated the sudden change in her boss’ demeanor got here after she requested a few new contract with higher pay than the $71,000 she’d been getting.
What resulted, she claims, was months of being “gaslit” by supervisors, excluded from conferences, and having extra and demeaning work piled on her — together with fixing her co-anchor’s typos.
“What management did to me changed my life forever. I almost lost my life. My children came very close to almost losing their mother,” she instructed The Submit. “I felt like my whole world was caving in.”
Klebers, a 42-year-old mom of three, was employed in April 2018.
Her supervisors praised her intelligence and work ethic, calling her the “sunshine of the newsroom,” in accordance with a declare filed with the American Arbitration Affiliation and obtained by The Submit.
Through the pandemic, she was continuously one in all simply two folks within the constructing, chargeable for the whole lot from her personal work to “making sure the cameras, lights, and teleprompter were working” and protecting then-Gov. Cuomo’s day by day information conferences, in accordance with the declare.
The efforts earned her but extra reward and a $4,200 bonus.
However co-workers have been getting double that quantity, she discovered. And when she voiced considerations to her managers, the solar started to set on her profession on the station, Klebers contended in papers.
“I felt humiliated,” she stated. “I used to be being alienated from the remainder of the information staff. Administration started blaming technical difficulties on me that I had no management over.
“I did everything managers asked of me and more,” she added. “This all while my contract and pay raise were being held over my head. It felt like management wanted me to quit or react poorly to the things they were doing to me.”
She was minimize out of a promotional commercial that includes storm protection she helmed — whereas a male colleague who known as out that day was edited into the footage, she claimed.
Klebers put in a proper grievance however then in the end determined to resign.
Nonetheless, Altice refused to just accept her departure, ostensibly as a result of the corporate claimed it was required to analyze her grievance.
“It all sent me into a spiral,” she stated. “It was too much.”
“On Friday, May 13, 2022, I became very ill,” Klebers stated. “I had a psychotic break. I was suicidal. This all happened in front of my husband and children and even my sister.”
Her husband Erik stated “she became almost catatonic, staring into space, moving around the house inexplicably.”
She saved attempting to seize her automobile keys and heading to the storage, Erik Klebers stated, which docs later confirmed was her try at suicide.
She spent six days within the psych ward on suicide watch. She was later fired by Altice whereas out on incapacity.
“Her career was completely derailed, such to the point that she does not see any avenue back to an anchor desk, not at News12 or any media, any newsroom anywhere,” stated her lawyer, Anthony Mango. “This was brought about by her just making in good faith, raising an issue for the equal pay. “It’s really rendered her disabled.”
Klebers desires the American Arbitration Affiliation to award her the revenue she would have made as an anchor.
She selected to go public as a result of “this cannot happen to another person, woman or man, that works in a corporate environment. It should be criminal.”
An Altice USA spokesperson stated, “News 12 prides itself on providing an inclusive and equitable workplace where employees can thrive and are compensated based on their skills, contributions, and merit; any gender discrimination claims are entirely baseless, and we will defend against them vigorously.”
In case you are combating suicidal ideas or are experiencing a psychological well being disaster and stay in New York Metropolis, you may name 1-888-NYC-WELL without spending a dime and confidential disaster counseling. For those who stay outdoors the 5 boroughs, you may dial the 24/7 Nationwide Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
